Players, Bumps and Cocktail Sausages (Silence #3)(44)

“I’m sorry, Emma. I was a dick. Lemme buy you a drink to apologise.”

“Oh, so you want to have a drink with me now?”

When did I say with?

I smiled. “Of course. I didn’t think you’d want to since this was just a bit of fun.”

She blinked heavily, and I started to seriously regret my decision to sleep with her. Some people could casual fuck; Emma was not one of them. Either she’d been hurt like me, or she was trying to prove some point to someone – her friends or another guy most likely.

Her bottom lip trembled, and my eyes widened.

“Shit. No, don’t cry.” What do I do? What do I do? “Do you want me to go?”

Shaking her head, she pulled me back in the stall and closed the door.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, fanning her face.

I leant back against the wall I’d just banged her up against and smiled as convincingly as I could. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m embarrassed mostly.”

“You’ve not done this much.”

“This is the first one-night stand I’ve had, and I thought I’d be okay. It’s just sex, right?”

Kneeling down as she dropped onto the toilet seat, I replied, “It’s not just sex for everyone.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing, Emma. It’s fine if you can cut feelings off for sex and if you can’t. Now you know, never do it again.” I reached out and wiped her tear before it fell. “It’s not worth feeling like this over, and waiting for a relationship is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m glad this mistake was you.”

I wasn’t sure how to take that.

“Okay,” I replied.

“Sorry, that didn’t come out right. I just mean that if it was someone else that didn’t care I would’ve felt worse.”

“I don’t care about anything.” Even I didn’t believe the words.

She smiled. “Sure you don’t.”

Standing up, she walked past me.

“Take care, Jasper.”

And I felt worse; she’d remembered my name.

Blowing out a deep breath, I left the bathroom. Emma was nowhere around in the bar, so I assumed she’d gone home. I’d had one time fucks go wrong before – the woman that told me she was falling for me five seconds after I’d come and the one that chanted silent words as I did her against the door. To this day, I had no idea what she was mouthing.

I stumbled to the bar and leant my full weight on the wooden top.

“I’ll have another SoCo and coke, please,” I slurred, pushing my glass towards a hot barmaid.

“Coming up,” she replied.

Leaning over the bar, I checked out her arse as she made me a drink. She was slightly slimmer than Abby. I’d always loved Abby’s curves. There was something for me to grab onto.

“Ha, Brett loved her curves too,” I said to the person beside me, a bewildered looking fierce redhead.

“Okay,” she said.

“My wife is a slut.”

“My fiancé is a slut,” she replied. “I’m Kate.”

“Jasper.”

“So your wife cheated.”

“With a guy from work, yeah. You?”

“Caught him in my bed with my cousin.”

“Shit. Okay, you win.” I thought seeing Abby kiss another man was bad enough. I didn’t know how the fuck I’d cope with seeing more. “Want a drink?”

“Whatever you’re having, please.”

“Make that two,” I called to the barmaid, and she nodded in reply. “So, Kate, what’re you doing with your life since it got fucked up?”

She snorted. “You sound like my family.”

“I sound like my family. My sister is always going on about how I have so much more to offer than sleeping around and I should get myself sorted as moving on is the best revenge.”

Kate thought for a minute. “Your sister’s right about that.”

“I prefer getting shitfaced and getting laid.”

“The easy option.”

I frowned. “Wouldn’t call it that.”

“Neither would I, but it’s easier than facing that fact that your relationship is over, you’re alone and somehow have to piece everything back together.”

“Well aren’t we the most cheerful fuckers in the bar tonight?”

She laughed. “You need revenge.”

“Revenge? What I need is to forget she exists and hope my divorce comes through ASAP.”

“Hmm, I prefer revenge.”

“How did you do that?”

The bartender put our drinks on the bar, and I paid. Kate ran her long fingernail around the edge of the glass.

“Keyed his precious car and told my aunt, uncle and Bethan’s husband that Daniel has Chlamydia so she should get tested.”

“Does marriage mean nothing to people these days?”

“Tell me about it,” she spat. “I’m off men now. Relationship-wise. It’s not worth the hassle and heartbreak.”

“I’ll drink to that.” I picked up my glass, and we clinked.